Rerere
Uncle Rerere/Old Man Rerere (レレレのおじさん Rerere no ojisan), alternatively Uncle Lelele and also simply Rerere for short, is a character appearing in The Genius Bakabon and as part of Akatsuka's Star System. In his initial appearances, he is referred to as "The 'Are you going out?' Man", due to his oft-repeated question of "Are you going out?". Overview Rerere is a street sweeper that started out as an occasional sight in Bakabon's neighborhood, but grew to be more of a recurring presence in the title. He is dedicated to keeping the streets free of dirt and debris, and will stop at nothing to make sure he fulfills his job. His design was inspired by that of characters drawn by Shigeru Sugiura, from his facial features to the gestures he makes with his hands. Akatsuka's assistant Kenichiro Takai played a vital part in finalizing this design as well. Physical Appearance Rerere is a bald old man with unusually long, alien-like earlobes, a lack of visible nose, shiny black eyes, and a wide mouth with only three visible teeth. His mustache is represented by a pattern of horizontal lines above his mouth. He can often be seen dressed in a checkered-print yukata, usually colored yellow or green, and a pair of wodden geta sandals. However, there are also times he may be seen to wear a suit or other clothes, particularly in flashbacks to his married life. Personality Rerere is a seemingly simple but insightful and intelligent man, who will spend most of his time cleaning the streets and singing "Clean, clean~" along with asking others if they intend on going anywhere. He is often friendly and easygoing to anyone else, but will have no mercy on anyone hindering or actively ruining his job, which can lead to them being smacked with his broom. His greatest enemies are pollution and those who would pose other threats or nuisance to a clean environment. He can be seen to be performing his job no matter how late it is at night, and will even sweep during rainy days as long as he has an umbrella to protect himself. There is even an instance where he can be seen to sleep in a futon in the street in order to stay close to his territory. Relationships with Other Characters Family and Lookalikes Son Before the better-known setting in the 100-Page Special, there are at least two occasions where Rerere can be seen to have a young son of some sort, who will either be seen in the company of his father or on his own (such as in an Extraordinary Ataro instance). Both appearances of these sons have them depicted as miniature versions of Rerere. Tarita A Rerere-esque former classmate of Papa's that had attended Bakada University with him in their youth, and known for singing "Tarirariran~" (hence his name). Although he predated Rerere's finalized appearance and there was no familial connection given at the time, Fujio Pro and commentary given by Rerere have raised the possibility that Tarita is a cousin. Yoyoyo A twin brother of Rerere who looks similar except for his "Yo" katakana-shaped eyes and mouth, along with his penchant for wearing a checkered suit. Rururu A brother that isn't exactly "canon" (a dubious concept as it is in Akatsuka's world) but was crafted by Akatsuka as an image character for the telecommunications company Astel Tokyo, and who serves as a stand-in for Rerere. Wife As told by Rerere to Papa within a story in the 100-Page Special, he once had a wife that he loved dearly and managed to raise 25 children with. Sadly, she has long since passed away in the modern day, leaving Rerere a lonely man yet one who continues his fulfillment through cleaning. Rerere's 25 Kids Through the years of Rerere's marriage, his wife gave birth to five sets of quintuplet children and it became a chore to keep up with them all. Rerere would take up the broom in order to sweep his children out the door to school, as well as clean up after their mess. Although a daughter can be seen suggested in the establishing panel of all his children, only identical sons are all seen in further parts of the story. All of these children have since grown up and become independent, moving on to their own lives and jobs and leaving the home rather vacant and quiet compared to the past. History Appearances in Animation The Genius Bakabon (1971) The Original Genius Bakabon Osomatsu-kun (1988) Heisei Genius Bakabon Rerere's Genius Bakabon Osomatsu-san As an in-joke, Rerere or a character with such features and fashion can be seen as one of the members of the "Dayōn Tribe" in episode 23. Portrayals Voice Acting *1971 series, Original Genius Bakabon- Ryūji Saikachi *Osomatsu-kun (1988), Heisei Genius Bakabon, Rerere's Genius Bakabon- Shigeru Chiba Live Action Gallery Trivia References External Links * Rerere profile at Koredeiinoda (Japanese) Category:Characters and Mascots Category:The Genius Bakabon